What’s Driving the Latest Tech News? From Quantum Computers to Linux LTS Extensions

0. A former “Red Boy” actor becomes a Chinese Academy of Sciences PhD Zhao Xinpei, who played Red Boy in the 86 version of Journey to the West, earned a PhD in computer science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences after a master’s at Peking University, and now runs dozens of companies.

1. Amazon’s Chinese paid‑review farms exposed Security researchers discovered an unsecured ElasticSearch server containing about 13 million records of communications between Amazon sellers and paid reviewers, many from China. The data revealed how reviewers purchase products, post five‑star reviews, receive refunds via PayPal, and include personal contact details, violating Amazon’s terms and, in some jurisdictions, the law.

2. Linux 5.10 LTS support extended to end‑2026 Originally slated to end in 2022, the Linux 5.10 long‑term support kernel will now receive updates until December 2026 thanks to increased community participation, giving it a six‑year lifecycle comparable to earlier LTS releases.

3. Microsoft Edge blocks Firefox installers Users reported that Edge’s SmartScreen incorrectly flags all Firefox installer packages as harmful, preventing downloads. The protection, enabled by default, can be adjusted in the privacy settings, and an optional “block potentially unwanted apps” feature is also available.

4. China builds a 62‑qubit programmable superconducting quantum prototype “Zuchongzhi” Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China announced a 62‑qubit programmable superconducting quantum computer capable of two‑dimensional quantum walks, laying groundwork for quantum‑advantage demonstrations and future algorithms.

5. Google develops new Chrome global media controls The Chromium team is redesigning Chrome’s media control UI with a progress bar, smaller album‑art thumbnails, a device‑selection dropdown, volume control, and visual style tweaks, initially landing in Chrome Canary.

Sources: Tech Frontline, Programmer’s Stories, Open Source China, Solidot, cnBeta, Tencent Tech, etc.